Gas-compressor unit



Dec. 23, 1930. w. H. THOMPSON GAS COMPRESSOR UNIT Filed Jan. 6, 1928 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY WML/fm H. THOMPSON Patented Dec. 23, 1930 y p i i il,

unirse STATES PATENT orme Y Appueation filed January e, 7192s.H serial No, 244,904.

My invention relates to an apparatus for here shown of generally rectangular outline lique'fying agas by compression and cooling, and a top closure member 11 is provided and particularly to a'unit adapted for liquetherefor, such closure member being arfying and circulating a normally gaseous reranged to be liXedly mounted on the cavity e frige'rant inrefrigeration apparatus. walls 12 by means of bolts 13. Upper and 55 An object of the inventionfis to provide a lower conduits 14 and 16 respectively are pro# condenser unit of the character described in vided, each extending through a wall 12 of which the gas compressing and cooling porthe cavity, it beingnoted that the conduits 1/1 tions are unitarily associated in a particularly and 16 are arranged vto respectively provide 10 compact manner for removal together withoutlet and inlet passages for the cavity for ef- 6G outnecessitating a removal o f the gas therefecting a circulation of a suitable cooling from. l. Y 4 fluid therethrough. If thecooling fluid is to o Another Vobject of the invention is to pro.- be circulated'under pressure, the cavity memvide a condenser unit of the worm type in ber 11 would, of course, provide a fluid-tight 15 which the worm and pump mechanism are closure for the'cavity.V Preferably, and as 65 immersed in a common cooling bath. shown, the base 7 is provided with a plurality A further object of the invention is lto proof springs 17- at the under sidethereof, such vide in the unit particularlypositive and efsprings serving to provide vibration absorb- Y cient structural means for preventing leaking supporting feet' for the apparatus.

2.0 age of the refrigerant therefrom. y It will now be noted that the member 11, 70

A still further ob'ect of the invention is to besides Serving as a Closure for the Cooling pIOVlde 111 the ll'Illt 21,11 impIOVd and paIlCu- Cavity 8, provides as integral parts thereof larly efficient gas compressing means. various frame elements of the unit 6 and a The IlVeIltOll FOSSQSSGS Other Objects and support for the complete unit assembly.

25 features of advantage, some of which, with Formed in the member 11 is a cylinder 18 75 the foregoing, will be set forth in the follow-r having tg axis vertical andV having dispsed ing'description of the preferred form of the therein a reciprocable piStoIl l9i The Cylninvention Whll iS uUStmted ill th@ drawings der 1 8, it will be noted, 4entends generally bcomplyng and forming part of the speoltransverselyV through the member 11 and variations in the showing made by the said end thereof, and the upper, or head, end of the drawings and description may be adopted cylinder is arranged to be closed by a head within the scope of the invention as set forth 21 removably secured to the cylinder as by in the claims. Y Y stud bolts 22. A discharge passage for the Referring to said drawings, cylinder is provided in the head 21 and such Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus @1npassage. is provided with a suitable check bodying the invention. v valve.` vAs herewith particularly shown, a Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus passage 23, is provided inthe head 21, such taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1, and with passage extending therethrough axially of porti. ons of the structure broken away. the cylinder and having operatively disposed n lFigure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 at the cylinder end thereof a lift valve 2a in Figure y2. arranged vto be opened by the ,discharge pres- Figure 4 is a fragmentary view taken on sure of the pump'. i the line 4-4 in Figure 2. For cooling a gas after it has been disil In vthe present embodiment of the invencharged under pressure from the cylinder 18, i"

tion, the condenser unit 6 of my invention is a coil, or worm, 26, is provided, said coil being mounted on a base 7 formed to provide at difmounted on the under, or cavity, side of the ferent ends thereof an upwardly opening cavmember 1l. The convolutions of the coil, itV

A ity 8 and a support for anV actuating means will be noted, follow generally alOng the side such as an electric motor 9. The cavity 8 s walls of the cavity 8 and "slope generally W" downwardly from the inlet end 27 of the coil which is liXed to the member ll. The upper and major part of the coil is formed of tubing of relatively large diameter, while the lowermost coil portion 28 is formed of tubing of relatively small diameter to provide a sump for the reception of the liquefied gasin this manner, a maximum cooling radiation is permitted and a minimum amount of refrigerant is required for charging the apparatus. A discharge pipe 29 for the condensed gas leads upwardly from the coil portion 2S through the member ll to a discharge valve 3l mounted on the outer side of the member, whence it is arranged to be delivered through a conduit 32 to the expansion valve of a refrigerator (not shown).

l'leans are provided for connecting the coil end 27 with the passage 23, but since, as hereinbefore indicated, it is a primary obj ect of the present invention to provide a unit which is particularly compact, the necessary connections are made within the member 11. Accordingly, and as shown, a passage 33 is provided tlnough the member ll, such passage extending from a point in the seat of the head 2l to the point of connection of the coil end 27 to the member. A passage 34 is provided in the head 2l for connecting the inlet end of the passage 33 with an intermediate point of the passage 23 of the head. As here shown, the outer end of the passage 23 is arranged to be closed by means of a screw plug 36, such plug being provided with an axially directed boss 37 longitudinally perforated to receive the stem of the valve 24 for guiding the same. ln this manner, he connections between the cylinder and coil are entirely concealed and form an integral part of the structure.

Journalled in the lower side of the member l1 to extend horizontally therefrom in alignment with the shaft 38 of the motor 9 is a drive shaft 39, said latter shaft being releasably secured to the shaft 3S by means of a suitable coupling 4l, and having provided adjacent the inner end thereof a worm screw 42. Also journalled at the under side of the member l1 is a crank shaft 43, said shaft eX- tending from the crank case 20 radially of the cylinder axis through a crank case wall 44 and being` disposed transversely of the shaft 39, in noneintersecting relation therewith. A worm gear 46 is provided on the shaft 43 for engagement with the worm screw 42', while mounted on the shaft 4G within the crank case 20 is a crankpin 47, the latter being connected to the piston 19 by means of a connecting rod 4S. In this manner, an operative connection between the motor and pump is provided substantially entirely within the cavity 8.

lt will now be noted that the crank case 20 is arranged to contain oil in the lower portion thereof for effecting the lubrication of the connections of the connecting rod 48 with the piston and crank shaft and that the geared connections between the drive shaft and crank shaft are also arranged to be lubricated with oil. Accordingly, and as here shown, the member ll is formed to provide al snitably shaped gear case 49 about the worin screw and worm gear. The crank case 20 and gear case 49, it will be noted, have the wall 44 in common between them, and the crank shaft 48 is journalled in the wall 44 and the opposite end wall l of the gear case. Preferably, and as shown, the ball-bearings and 53 are provided respectively in the walls 44 and 5l for supporting the crank shaft whereby friction eilects n'iay be minimized. Furthermore, the use of ball bearings in the wall 44 permits a flow of oil lietwecn the crank case and gear case 4), it being noted that the bottoms of the crank case and gear case are semi-cylindrical and re desirably on a level, or nearly so, as shown. lreferably, the member ll is perforated above the gear case to provide a filler opening 54 for placing lubricant in the gear case, and a removable screw plug .5(3 is provided for the opening 54. It will be clear that the crank case and gear case cooperate to provide in effect a single chamber for lubricant for the operative connections for the pump and that this chamber extends well toward the bottom of the cavity 8 with the convolutions of the coil 26 about it. ln this manner, a cooling of the oil in the crank and gear is effected by the cooling 1nedium in the cavity.

lhe drive shaft 39 is journalled in the opposite side walls 57 and 58 of the gear case 4D. Suitable bearings for the shaft 39 are i vided at the walls 57 and 58, and as ln shown, such bearings are provided in reinov able bearing blocks 59 and 6l mounted in the respective walls. The bearing provided by the block 59 is in the form of a socket, while that provided in the block 6l comprises a rylinilrical bore extending through the lt will now be not-ed that the cylinblock. der, crank case and gear case may together be thought of as a single cavity, and that the shaft opening through the block 6l is the only opening through which the gaseous rcfrignant might escape from the apparatus. To prevent a possible escape of gas along the shaft 239 through the block Gl, a special packing means is preferably provided in the block 6l. virs'herewith particularly shown, the bea 1ing block 6l is of rectangular outline and is hollow. At the points where the shaft 39 passes through the walls of the block, cylindrical bearing sleeves 62 and 63 are provided, such sleeves being integral with the box structure. The inner end of the sleeve 62, it is noted, extends through the wall 57 of the crank case and provides a direct bearing for the shaft 39, while the outer end of this sleeve and the sleeve 63 are respectively arranged to provide inner and outer stuffing boxes for the shaft 39. 1

ln the present embodiment of the invention, the shaft portion which extends through the stuiiing boxes is reduced in size and the bore of the stuffing boxes is somewhat greater than that of the larger shaft portion, an annular shoulder 66 Vthus being defined in the bore of the sleeve 62 opposite lthe point of' shaft reduction. A packing ring 67 is dis-v posed about the reduced shaft portion and against the'shoulder 66 and stuffing 68 is disposed against the said ring at the outer side thereof. Slidably mounted on the reduced shaft portion is a cylindrical sleeve member 69 arranged'to slidably lit the bores of the stuffing boxes. The inner end of the sleeve 69 is formed to provide a packing gland for the stufling in the inner stufling box, while the outer end thereof is formed to provide the inner packing ring for the stufling 68 in the outer stufiing box. Preferably, and as shown, the intermediate bore of the sleeve 69 is larger than the shaft portion therein and the sleeve is perforated opposite such portion to provide for admission of a lubricant thereto. The outer end of the stuffing box sleeve 68, it will now be noted, is externally threaded to receive a threaded ringl which ring engages an outer gland 72 for the pack-V ing in the stuffing box 65. In this manner, a screwing up of the ring 71 simultaneously effects a pressure engagement of the glands of both stutling boxes with the stuffing therein.

The block 61, it will now be noted, is ar ranged to be secured to the member 11 as by bolts 73 extending therethrough whereby it is removable from the base 7 with the member 11, it being noted that when the latter f. member is mounted on the base 7, the block 61v engages in a rectangular notch 74 provided in the cavity wall whereby the removal of the block 61 with the member 11 is permitted. The cavity of the block 61 is arranged to cont, tain lubricating oil at least to a level above that of the stufng boxes, whereby a truly gas-proof seal is provided against the leakage of refrigerant from the apparatus. For

effecting the introduction of oil to the block cavity, aligned perforations are provided in the upper cavity wall and overlying portion of the member 11, closure for said perforations beingprovided by means of a screw plug 76 threadedly engaging the block 61. Two

2 sides and the bottom of the bloc-k 61, it will further be noted, are exposed within the cooling cavity 8 whereby the cooling of the oil therein is arranged to be effected. y

The piston 19, it will now be noted, is in the general form of a hollow cylinder having a pressure operated valve 77 forming thecen? tral portion of the head end thereof. The valve 77 it will be noted is arranged to be closed during a working stroke'of the piston, and open during a suction stroke thereof. An

intake portjiS is providedin a side of thev piston, .suchport being arranged to register for aconsijderable part of the piston stroke with a port 7 9 provided in the cylinder wall. An inlet conduit 81 for the port 7 9 is provided, suchpipe connecting with the source of gas supply to becondensed by the apparatus. Thus when the apparatus is used for refrigeration purposes, the pipe 81 wouldbe connected with the expansion chamber ofa refrigerator (notshown). It will be clear that during each working stroke, while the gas is being forced under pressure ahead of the piston and through the cylinder outlet valve2l, gas from the pipe 81 will be filling the piston cavity at a pressure somewhat exceeding atmospheric,.and that a return stroke of the piston will eect a transfer ofthe gas from the piston into the cylinder. In this manner, the cylinder is arranged to receive a charge of gas for compression in a particularly rapid manner and withra minimum power loss.

Metallic packing rings 82 are provided on the piston 19, and one` or more of these rings are preferably formed to so wipe the cylinder walls during eachintake stroke of the piston that a minimum amount of lubricating `oil 'will be and remain on the cylinder wall portions with which the refrigerant gas contacts.

And it will furthermore be clear that if any f of the refrigerant does pass the piston, such escaped refrigerant will not be returned to the refrigerant circuit. In this manner, the possible contamination of the refrigerant with oil is reduced to a minimum.

lt will `be noted that if the compressing and cooling unit now described is to be removed for repair or replacement, the discharge valve 31 would be closed, the motor coupling 41 would be disengaged, and a loosening of the bolts 13 would then permit the removal of the unit 6 from its mounting on the base .7. ln this manner, no gas escape involved, and a replacement of a unit involves -a minimum amount of work on the part of a i: 'l

mechanic, it being noted that this feature is au important element of the present invention.

' In operating the device for circulating a refrigerant in refrigeration apparatus, a cooling A medium such as water is set in circulation in the cavity 8 around the worm, crank case, gear case, and bearing block 61, and the motor is started. At each working stroke of the piston, the charge in the cylinder is expelled 'ift through the valve 24 into the connected passages'QS, 34, 33 and so into the coil 26 where it gives up its heat of compression to the Y cooling` medium and is thereby liquefied. The

liqueed gas collects in the lower coil porl" tion 28 and being still under pressure tends to flow from the worm through the pipe 29, valve 31, and conduit 32 at a rate permitted by the expansion valve (not shown) of the refrigerator. The gaseous refrigerant from the expansion chamber (not shown) yinto which the expansion valve discharges is delivered through the conduit 8l to the cylinder port 7S) and so into the piston cavity, Whence it discharged into the cylinder through the piston valve 77 upon a suction stroke of the piston. ln this inanner, it Will be clear that refrigerant is arranged to he constantly circulated through the apparatus, and since substantially no leakage thereof is possible, a given charge of refrigerant will last indefinitely.

l claim:

l. ln apparatus of the class described, a have member providing a cavity arranged for the circulation of a cooling fluid therethroug i, a top wall for said cavity, a pump having cylinder and crankease portions carried by said top Wall, a crank sha-ft for said punip extending freni said crankcase, a drive shaft extending into said cavity, ineans within said cavity operatively connecting the ef;- tending portions of said shafts, and a Casin carried hy said top Wall enclosing said eer.- neeting ineans and the extending shaft portions, said casing and Crank shaft being disposed in the fluid circulation space of said cavity.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a compressor of the reciprocating piston type having a vertically disposed cyliiuler, a drive sl aft for said compressor, means operatively connecting said shaft and the compressor piston, a easing forming an extension of said cylinder and supportably enclosing said connecting nieans, a hearing provided in a Wall of the casing having said drive shaft extendin g therethrough, said bearing including spaced stuffing hoxes having the shaft portions hetiveen thein arranged to he disposed in a lubricant at all tiine.

3. ln apparatus of the character described, a gas compressor having a cylinder, a drive shaft therefor, means operatively connecting said compressor and shaft, a easing forming an extension of said cylinder and supportahly enclosing said connecting means, a bearing block provided in a Wall of the casing having said drive shaft extending therethrough, said block being hollovv to provide a lubrioa-nt receiving cavity and providing spaced stuiing boxes in opposite walls thereof for the reception of said shaft.

In testimony whereof, have hereunto set iny hand at Oakland, California, this 22nd day of December,

VVILLAM H. THOMPSON. 

